Draft rigging



B' W- KADEL DRAFT RIGG'ING Filed April 5. 1922 Y /NvENToR WITNESS:

Patented Sept. 8, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BYERS KADEL, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

- T0 THE SYMINGTON COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F MARYLAND.

DRAFT RIGGIN G.

Application led April* 5, 1922. Serial No. 5493840.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, BYnRs l/V. KABEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft Rigging; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to draft rigging for railway cars and more particularlyL to improvements in friction mechanism primarily designed as the cushioning element of draft rigging.

The principal object of 4my invention,

generally considered, is to provide a friction mechanism having a separable friction collar or box` and a springhousing or barrel coacting therewi'th,'-the friction box being formed from abillet by a forging or pressing process, said box being of rectangular cross section and provided withshoulders against which the end of the friction barrel or housing is adapted to seat.

Another object of the invention isto provide a spring barrel or housing rectan gular in outline Vand having an integral rear end, the normal open end of the barrel being adapted for the :reception of portions of a friction box or casing. f

Another object! of the invention is to provide in the type of construction hereinbefore set forth, a spring housing rectangular in outline, the end 'walls' of which are thicker in cross section than the'side walls, the said end walls converging toward the closed end of the housing.

A still further objectof the invention is to provide va friction box with projecting members adapted to lit'wi'thin the open end of a'spring housing or barrel, said projections being adapted to center the friction box with reference to the longitudinal axis of the housing.

Another object of the invention is to provide in combination with a cast friction box having oppositely disposed inclined fric-tion faces, of a forged steel spring housing or barrel, said spring housing at the open end thereof cooperating with said friction box and its closed end cooperating with one end of the friction producing spring.

In the drawings wherein I have illustrated a single embodiment of the invention:

Figure l is a transverse longitudinal sectional view of a friction unit constructed generally rectangular in outline, which is provided with a pair of inwardly inclined wedging friction faces 2. At its inner end the friction boxl is provided with 'a flat bearing face B-against which the outer end of a spring housing or barrel 4 is adapted tobear. The said spring housing or barrel 4 is adaptedA to be formed in any convenient or well known manner by a forging or pressing process from a billet. This method of so forming the barrel or spring housing is possible by providing a pair yof the side walls of said barrel, as will hereinafter be pointed out, arranged at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the barrel and the opposite side walls arranged parallel with said axis. This formation of the spring barrel permits the use of a tapered die, the-re being sufficient draft formed by the angular disposition of the side walls to permit the ready withdrawal of the die after the pressV ing operation is completed and at the same time by arranging the angularly disposed faces inV rear of the friction faces of the friction box l the strength of the assembled gear is greatly augmented. By forming the spring barrel from a billet by a forging or pressing process all danger of defective material due to faulty castings is avoided, the weight of the friction barrel is materially lessened, and the cost thereof is maintained in substantially the same figure as the corresponding cast barrel while the strength of the barrel is of course greatly superior to a cast barrel of like section. Preferably the vouter end of the spring housing 4 is substantially the same size as the rear. end of the friction box l whereby the respective faces of the friction box r,and spring housing at'their point of contact are in substantially the same planes. Adjacent the end walls of the box 1 and projecting rearwardly frorn the face 3, I provide the said box 1 with a pair of lugs 5 5. Each of the lugs 5 is substantially U-shaped and is adapted to lit against the inside faces of the end walls 6 of the housing 4 so as to accurately center the box 1 with reference to the lon gitudinal axis of the housing 4. The arm portions 7 of each lug 5 are adapted to engage the side walls 8 of the spring housing 4. The outer faces of the lugs 5 preferably are beveled, as at 9, to agree with the inclination .of the end walls 6 of the housing and the inner faces of the lugs 5 are also tapered, as at 10, so as to forni guiding Ineans for accurate positioning` of the forward end of the outer spring 11 which is located within the spring housing 4.

Intermediate the wed-ging friction faces 2 I provide a plurality of friction blocks 12 and 13. The friction blocks 12 are adapted respectively to engage the faces 2 of the box 1 and the wedge 1.3 is interposed between the wedgingpfriction faces 14 of the blocks 12. At its inner end the wedge 13 is seated upon the spring 11 anda if desired, there may be an additional lighter spring 15 interposed between the rear end of the housing and a recess 16 in the wedge block 13.

In order 'to compensate for the additional strain due to the location of the friction faces 2, I preferably thicken the end walls 6 of th@j housing 4 so as to strengthen the same against deflection and excessive loads imposed upon the friction mechanism, and

since the walls 6 are arranged substantially parallel 'to the friction faces 2 the strains will be Vimposed thereon substantially in the plane of the wall.

It will be observed that the opening .or throat 17 of the friction box is of less diaineter than the diameter of the spring 11 and is also of less diameter than the outwardly flared portion 1S 0f the central friction block 13. By utilizing the rectangular spring housing which is preferably closed at its inner or rear end, I provide a casing which is adapted to cooperate with either a horizontal or vertical yoke without requiring supplemental guide piece-s, since the forward end of the casing is of such dimension that it will exactly fit within the standard sill spacing if placed between the sills with its long axis at right angles to the plane yof the sill and which will exactly fit between the arrns of a hogliZOntal lyoke if arranged with its long axis parallel to the, plane of the sill.

In addition, by utilizing a rectangular spring housing or barrel I avoid abrupt change .of direction between the casing and friction box and rnake an exceedingly sightly lstructure which, owing to the absence of projections, cannot catch on carry irons or tie plates and thus fail to operate in its usual and intended Ina-nner.

Having thus described Iny invention what I now `claiin and desire to secure by Letters- Patent is 1. The combination with a hollow Cast friction box having inclined friction faces formed on the inner side walls thereof, cfa forged steel housing adapted to coact with said friction box, the side walls of said housing disposed .immediately rear-.of the said friction faces converging inwardly through out their length toward the inner V.end .of said housing., .Ineens carried by said friction box for positioning the same with reference to said houeiflzllg,e

2. The col'nbination with a hollow friction box having on a pair of inner .Side walls converging friction faces, of a pressed Steel housing adapted to coact with said friction box, the side walls of lsaid housing disposed immediately in rear of said. friction feces converging 'inwardly throughout their length toward the inner .emi of said housma Section than the remaining vwalls, of said housing.

3- The concleina-tion with a hollow rec-tengul-,ar friction box having Eon a pair of inner side walls converging friction faces, of l a rectangular pressed l*steel housing having an open .end adapted to coact with said frictionbox, the side walls of said honsng disposed innnediately in rear of said friction faces .converging inwardly throughout 'their length toward the closed inner end of said housing, the said sid@ walls being thicker in cross section than the remaining Wal-.1S of said housing, and a spring within said housing reacting at one end Yagainst the saine, the line of contact between ysaid box and housing being in substantially ,the saine plane.

In testimony whereof I .affix my signature.

` BYERS W. KABEL.

said side walls being thicker in cross- 

